"Square once agains blesses us with a great game...this time on the GameCube!"

Well it hasn't been since the good old Super Nintendo days that Square graced a Nintendo console. Now they make Final Fantasy: Crystal Chronicles! So is it a hit or a piece of crap (if you read the tagline you'd know)?

Story 10/10 I must say I'm very impressed with Square-Enix making these great storylines over and over again. This game is no exception. A group of kids are sent off to collect scared dew to save their world from a poison that is covering the earth. Now this may seem simple but play the game to find out what else happens along this great plot.

Graphics 10/10 One word. Beautiful. These graphics are comparable to even Metroid Prime, one of the prettiest games on the GameCube. The characters are colorful with loads of detail poured into them. The backgrounds give you a feel that everything is alive and full of energy. All the spells, attacks, and enemies are crazily detailed as well. Nothing here to be let down by!

Sound 10/10 The music in this game really sets the mood of the situation. The battle theme is lively and pumps you up for some serious monster bashing. The effects are wonderful, casting a spell, swishing your sword, just everything makes you feel like you are right there.

Gameplay 10/10 Not only do you get the outstanding single player, but they also added a multiplayer for the first time ever in a Final Fantasy game! There is one catch though, if you do play multiplayer you must all play on Gameboy Advance systems linked into your GameCube. That's no biggie if you got friends with GBA's all you need to do is buy 3 or 4 cables which are very inexpensive. Enough about the multiplayer that's get on to the general gameplay. The game feels a lot like Secret of Mana for the good old Super Nintendo. You also must overcome some easy/medium puzzles kind of like in Zelda. As you walk you have a Crystal Cage that protects you from the poison outside. If you wander out of the barrier you will lose you HP. The combat is amazing, it's like Zelda and Secret of Mana (which is a good thing). My final words on the gameplay are, this is a well crafted battle system that will make you want more!

Replay 8/10 The game took me 40+ hours and I didn't do many sidequests. The replay is high for a Action RPG, but Square made it so good you'll want to play it over and over again!